HELP! Model creating/editing

[|iR|Focalor]

Need a little help here. I'd like to create some custom models for a few items.

What I'm wanting to make is a box that looks like a 12pack of bottled beer for the large health pack (+25), a box that looks like a 24 pack of canned beer for the medium health pack (+10), a model that looks like a single beer bottle for the health stimpack (+1), maybe a huge bottle of some kind of liquor for the megahealth, maybe a tallboy beer can for the adrenaline,... and if I can do that, might as well make a custom quad damage model, perhaps even some rocket propelled penises for rocket launcher projectiles like I've always wanted.

Anyway, I'm not really asking if anyone can make them FOR me. I'd prefer to learn how do it myself. Any recommendations on a good easy to use model creating/editing program I could use?

So far I've downloaded the one on Panjoo's page and tickered around with it a little, but it's a little confusing. Is there another one out there that's a bit easier to use?

[The Happy Friar]

Blender 2.49 (maybe the newest 2.5x) has a md2 exporter.   I use Blender to model, texture & export.  Then I use q2modeler to attach the pcx skin & re-export from that.  Here's a link to q2modeler: http://www.moddb.com/members/thehappyfriar/downloads/quake-2-model-editor-v090

I use this spreadsheet to calculate the frame file listing for Blender to use to export (attached).

It's not as overwhelming as it seems.

A keg should be for the Mega.

[[BTF]Sigma]

perhaps even some rocket propelled penises for rocket launcher projectiles like I've always wanted.

I tried that after using my own eggbeater as a template and the server logged an anticheat violation for a spiked projectile model.

Bounding boxes...pffft. I'd rather be pounding boxes. Gnome'sayin?

[|iR|Focalor]

Yeah, didn't really think about that, but since it'd be an unknown model, AC might kick for it. Well if I decide to waste my time making it, I guess I'll give Quadz a holler and see if he can't add it to whatever list.

Anyway, I appreciate the response Friar, but I looked on youtube and found this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7wU3V0lLgw

Since this 4 part series seems to walk you through it step-by-step, I guess I'll give this method a shot first. I've only watched the first video, and he mentions using a program called 3Ds Max, and I guess it's not freeware, so I'll have to see if I can't torrent it.

What I'm hoping to be able to do is use larger PNG images for the skins like the hi-res weapons and items I typically use in my paks.

Any advice, or even better, links to a comprehensive walkthrough, would be GREATLY appreciated.

[The Happy Friar]

Even if you use png's you still need the pcx for older clients.

3DSMax is a PITA imho.    I prefer blender.  He also wants you to use milkshape.  Bah!  And photoshop!  Geeze!  Blender can model, unwrap, paint & export all in one app!  He doesn't seem to cover naming frames for the model either... tisk tisk tisk!   Papervision also doesn't use the exact same kind of models as Quake 2, you still need to do a thing or two to the texture.

Modeling for Q2 is just like modeling for anything else, just keep in mind the vert/poly limits.  The only "trick" is exporting the md2 properly.    That spreadsheet pretty much does that for you.

If you already know Blender I can make a quick tutorial on how to make a Q2 model from Blender to Q2.

[|iR|Focalor]

I know NOTHING. Have no clue what Blender is. I don't know what the limit is on polygons. I've loaded one or two of the hi-res model md2's in the q2modeler prog and seen how many triangles there are. LOTS. I don't think I'd get close to that. I wanna keep the models as simple as I can, just basic shapes, something that would be easy to skin by editing an image with MSPaint and GIMP.

Dunno what "PITA" is either. I asked BeanStorm on FOX earlier tonight what he used and I think he said maya and milkshape.

Geez, the more I "learn", the more confused I get. If you're willing to take the time to make a tutorial on this stuff, I'm certainly willing to follow it. Just remember to dumb it down for a modeling newbie like me. Just gimme a list of what programs I'll need and walk me through step by step what I need to do to make a basic cube model for a health pack and then skin it properly. Hopefully if I can complete that, I'll have enough of a feel for it to be able to do other things on my own.

[The Happy Friar]

Dunno what "PITA" is either.

PITA = Pain In The Ass.  Not the animal loving PETA, no similarities except they are a PITA. 

For learning Blender I started with this set of tutorials.  It does a LOT more then making some simple models but it teaches you the UI of 2.49.  It goes from installing Blender to making pretty renders.     Once you know how to do stuff in your 3D program (especially Blender with it's md2 exporter) it's relatively simple to get stuff in game.

I'll write up something & post it somewhere for you & everyone else to read.

[The Happy Friar]

Oopes, forgot to post the link to the blender tutorials: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro

[|iR|Focalor]

Been screwing around with models again. Thinking I'll give model making (or at least model modifying) another shot. I was tinkering with Quark a bit and finally figured out how to slightly modify models doing things like shrinking or enlarging them, repositioning them to display at the right height level in relation to floors, redefining texture locations, pretty simple stuff. I can't figure out how to do more than that with Quark. I was gonna attempt to remap how the textures display on the faces of models, but couldn't figure it out. Quark "seems" to be an all-in-one modelling program, but it's apparently not very newbie friendly. I've looked over the help documentation and it's honestly not much help at all.

The other two programs I'm contemplating trying out are Blender or Milkshape. Blender looks like it has plenty of documentation and how-to's on that wikibooks page to help me out if I get lost. And Milkshape looks like they have tons of how-to videos on youtube, which would be helpful also.

So basically my question is which one is better? Which one is more newbie friendly and has the best features? At first what I wanna do is just what I'm doing now: modifying existing models, remapping how the textures display on the faces, maybe even map a brand new texture image to it. I'll try to describe kinda what I want to happen with that. I want to be able to have the model program create a blank image with just the outlines of the surfaces so that I can then take that image as a template and do anything graphically to it in photoshop.

Then later if I get the hang of that, I wanna give actual wireframe model creating a try and then do the same thing as before.